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Pam McConnell

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Pam McConnell
Pam McConnell in 2014
Toronto City Councillor for Ward 28 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale)
In office
December 1, 2000 – July 7, 2017
Preceded byWard Created
Succeeded byLucy Troisi
Toronto City Councillor for Ward 25 (Don River)
In office
January 1, 1998 – December 1, 2000
Preceded byWard Created
Succeeded byWard Abolished
Metro Toronto Councillor for Ward 7 (Regent Park and Cabbagetown)
In office
December 1, 1994 – January 1, 1998
Preceded byBarbara Hall
Succeeded byCity Amalgamated
Chair of the Toronto Police Services Board
In office
October 21, 2004 – October 14, 2005
Preceded byAlan Heisey
Succeeded byAlok Mukherjee
Chair of the Toronto and East York Community Council
In office
December 1, 2008 – December 1, 2010
Preceded byJanet Davis
Succeeded byGord Perks
Personal details
Born
Pamela Margaret Ritchie[1]

(1946-02-14)February 14, 1946[2]
Carlisle, Cumbria, England
DiedJuly 7, 2017(2017-07-07) (aged 71)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		New Democratic Party
SpouseJim McConnell[3]
Children2[3]
Residence(s)Toronto, Ontario
OccupationCity Councillor

Pamela Margaret McConnell (February 14, 1946 – July 7, 2017) was a municipal politician in Ontario, Canada. She served on Metro Toronto Council from 1994 to 1998, and on Toronto City Council from 1998 until her death in 2017.[4][5]

Early life

McConnell was born on February 14, 1946[2] in England; her family emigrated to Canada in 1954 when she was 9 years old.[5] She was a teacher before entering politics by being elected as a Toronto Board of Education school trustee in 1982. She held that position until 1994. She played a prominent role in advocating for adult literacy programs. In 1988, she became vice-chair of the Toronto School Board and, in 1992, became its chair.[4]

Political career

In 1994, she left the school board and was elected to Metro Council in a close race. With the amalgamation of Toronto with five suburban municipalities in 1997, she was forced into a tough election. With wards electing two councillors each, she faced fellow New Democratic Party (NDP) incumbents Jack Layton and Peter Tabuns, edging out Tabuns for the second councillor position by just over two hundred votes. With Tabuns and Layton nominated as the "official" NDP candidates by the ward's NDP association, McConnell's decision to run caused her to be estranged from her fellow NDPers for a period, and she supported Liberal-backed Barbara Hall as a candidate for Mayor of Toronto in the 2003 municipal election against New Democrat David Miller.[4]

She maintained her membership in the NDP, however, and became more active with the party since 2003. She was a Miller ally since the election and, served as chair of the Toronto Police Services Board from 2004 to 2005 overseeing the selection of a new police chief, Bill Blair. She also served as vice-chair of the board.[6]

McConnell has also been an advocate of children's issues on city council.[7]

McConnell served as a member of Toronto City Council for Ward 28 from its creation in 2000, and was re-elected every term until her death.[8][9] In December 2014, Toronto Mayor John Tory appointed McConnell as one of four deputy mayors representing the city[10] and in 2015 he selected her as the champion of the city's poverty reduction strategy.[11] McConnell is credited for her role in advocating poverty reduction and the revitalization of the Regent Park neighbourhood.[4][5]

Awards and honors

McConnell received an award from the Duke of Edinburgh in 1997 for her work with inner city youth.[12] In 2013, she received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of her decades of public service.[13][4] In January 2018, Toronto Mayor John Tory announced the creation of the Pam McConnell Young Women in Leadership Award for women between the ages of 19 and 26.[14]

Personal life

McConnell had two daughters, Heather Ann and Madelyn, with her husband Jim.[3] On July 6, 2017, McConnell was reportedly in hospital and was referred to as "gravely ill" by Mayor John Tory.[15] She died on July 7, 2017, from a lung condition.[3][4]

Election results

2014 Toronto election, Ward 28 [16]
Candidate Votes %
Pam McConnell 14,047 55.80%
David Blackmore 2,852 11.33%
Jonathan Hughes 2,416 9.60%
Andy Melnyk 1,964 7.80%
Daniel Patel 965 3.83%
Total 25,173 100%
2010 Toronto election, Ward 28 [17]
Candidate Votes %
Pam McConnell 11,883 62.856%
Howard Bortenstein 3,730 19.73%
Dennis Hollingsworth 1,128 5.967%
Raj Rama 969 5.126%
Daniel Murton 633 3.348%
Eric Brazau 562 2.973%
Total 18,905 100%

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ a b "In Memory of Pamela Margaret McConnell". dignitymemorial.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Miller, Adam; Westoll, Nick (July 7, 2017). "Pam McConnell, veteran Toronto city councillor, dies at 71". Global News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Veteran city councillor Pam McConnell has died at 71". Toronto Star. July 7, 2017. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b c Fraser, Laura (July 7, 2017). "Veteran Toronto councillor Pam McConnell has died". CBC News. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Cruickshank, Ainslie (July 7, 2017). "Veteran Toronto city councillor Pam McConnell has died at 71". The Spec. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  7. ^ Simcoe, Luke (December 1, 2014). "Meet Toronto's four deputy mayors". Toronto Metro. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  8. ^ Lavoie, Joanna (October 27, 2014). "WARD 28: Pam McConnell secured eighth term on council". Inside Halton. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  9. ^ Black, Debra (October 27, 2014). "Pam McConnell wins Ward 28, Toronto Centre—Rosedale". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 8, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ Simcoe, Luke (December 1, 2014). "Meet Toronto's four deputy mayors". Metro. Archived from the original on July 14, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Brown, Wynna (July 7, 2017). "City of Toronto pays tribute to Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell" (Press release). City of Toronto. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Councillor Pam McConnell - Members of Council - City of Toronto". City of Toronto. Archived from the original on May 12, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Governor General of Canada - Honours". Governor General of Canada. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "City of Toronto launches young women's leadership award in memory of Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell". toronto.ca (Press release). January 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Fox, Chris. "City councillor Pam McConnell is 'gravely ill' in hospital, mayor says". CTV News Toronto. Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Ulli S. Watkiss (October 30, 2014). "Declaration of Results" (PDF). Toronto City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Ulli S. Watkiss (October 28, 2010). "Declaration of Results of Voting" (PDF). Toronto City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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